Tell us a few things about your new album Eat Your Friends. What is the main idea behind it?
its the third story in my discography about an alien who comes to earth its a simple premise in the first one its about my mental health and history so it vaguely makes a fiction of those things as shes captured by humans but learns to love life on earth, second was a bust out story where she falls in love with a human which mirrors other parts of my mentality, she lovers her so much she puts her in a memory loop that makes her believe her friends survived this one though is about love sex and recovery, as the alien always mirrors me and I happen to be in a wonderful relationship. all that though never distracts from just making interesting dance music and growing in my skill there.
Which song of the album represents you the most?
sonically prolly K4SET’s track (K4SE this Joint), Lyrically (Hello)
Favorite album of the past decade?
I cant choose one so Ill give the 3 most relevant Madeon’s(Good Faith) Skrillex(Recess) and clipping(there existed an addiction to blood) all these have had months long repeats in my headphones.
What would be your dream performance venue?
I dont really know, as long as theres lights and good subs, I dont really have any one in mind. Id just be happy to be on a stage at all Im southern so Im easily humbled and grateful for anything I achieve.
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
cant- part of the reason my music is through an alien persona is I dont always feel like a human myself, dont get me wrong I am one, but im neuro-divergent and that often makes relating to others difficult if we dont share some hyper obsession of mine.
You’d give up making music for…
Millions of dollars and Motherhood. but I dont plan to barter it. ideally Ill get all 3.
Tell us a few things about your new EP Zen. What is the story behind it?
I’ve been planning the Zen EP since the start of 2021 after I signed with Pacific Records at the start of 2020. It was around this time that I really started to carve out my style and find my voice in music. And although the EP is new to everyone, it’s a compilation of songs that I’ve been sitting on for a long time. I’m just stoked to finally release it. The story behind Zen is just my journey in finding happiness within myself. It’s a very introspective and self-aware EP, and what I’ve realized is I write best with subjects that are relevant to people who are conscious of their own self-care and self-love. So you can expect a lot of that in it.
Which song of the album reflects you the most?
All of the songs show a glimpse of myself but I think I’m the most vulnerable in “Who I Am”. “Zen” probably comes right after, but “Who I Am” really discusses my exploration to find self-love and try to be happy with myself. It’s especially close to my heart because it’s an overview of why I started focusing on my mental health and self-love.
Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?
I think a lot of my current musical influence comes from Kota the Friend, Cory Wong, and R&B/Soul groups like Durand Jones & The Indications and St. Paul & The Broken Bones. But Kota definitely inspires me the most.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
The biggest challenge I had faced and continue to face is the uncertainty of all of this. “What if this music stuff doesn’t work out?” is a thought that regularly enters my head, and I’m sure it’s the same for a lot of artists. I think it was partially what kept me from switching gears and putting my all into my music. Prior to 2020, I had been making music for more than 10 years but it wasn’t until recently that I made the effort to put my music out there. I think I’ve put myself in a situation where I’m closer to saying “At least I gave it a shot” than “What if this doesn’t work out?”.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
You’re going to f*ck up a lot, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it… it’s not really advice but I think it would help with my self-criticism.
What is the story behind your name?
Kubota is my last name. Growing up as an Asian-American, I didn’t have a lot of Asian role models. Representation in media was sh** for us. What I saw on TV was what formulated the perception of Asians in other kids’ minds, so my ethnicity made for easy points as insults. At a very early age where I was trying to assimilate with American kids, I began to disassociate from my own ethnicity and ultimately lost interest in my culture. As I grew older and began thinking more independently, I learned to be proud of my ethnicity. I feel embarrassed to have thought otherwise and my friends probably don’t even know I went through this, but now, they know damn well that I’m proud to be Japanese/Asian-American, and I’ll carry that proudly within my name. Sorry for the long-winded story. There’s still a lot to it, but that’s why I chose Kubota as my artist name.
One last thing we should know about you?
I genuinely don’t know what I’m doing with my life. 😀
Tell us a few things about your new album ‘Alien Girl’. What is the story behind it?
The story behind it is the chronicles of my past three years living in London. It’s the story of so many people like me that moved to another country to follow their dreams and make a better life for themselves. People that didn’t belong in the place they were born in and that worked hard to create that sense of belonging in the place of their choice.
Which is your most personal and honest lyric?
“… And I know that i like to sabotage things and this is why, I made him sabotage me”. I think this sentence encapsulates the first real struggle I always had in relationships and it acts as one of the starting points of my album.
What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?
This is a tough one! The making of this album in collaboration with Charles Bioul, Tom Gilbertson and Federico Marchi really changed my perspective! 3 years ago I would have said with no doubt the writing process was my favourite part of making music, now I just can’t wait to bring what I write to the band and see what arrangements we come up with for our live shows! So I would say, performing live is now the part I enjoy the most! The power of collaboration I guess!
What would you change in the music industry?
I would change the constant need to put artists in boxes. Music should educate people to recognise talent in the complexity of every human being rather than minimise human beings/artists to simple labels or categories. I think every artist has a world inside that is so different from everybody else and as controversial as it might sound, in my opinion it has nothing to do with their genre or music style.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Do what feels right and work with other people!! Don’t be scared of failing or showing yourself for who you really are!
What is the one habit/thing you cannot live without?
When it comes to my music, I am a massive control freak! I need to know everything is going the way I planned! I couldn’t live without my habit of organising weeks in advance on my calendar!
Tell us a few things about your new song ‘Good For Me’. What is the main idea behind it?
Good For Me is a hard hitting song that was derived from the old saying of my mother and grandmother about the Lord.
For which lyric you are most proud of?
If its Good Enough For My Mama, It’s Good Enough For Me.
Your music has an old school vibe. Are you into today’s Hip Hop? Or do you prefer to listen to old classics?
Yes, I enjoy new hip hop like Little Wayne, Kanye, T.I. and Slim thug and more. I listen to everything from Stevie Ray Vaughn, Snoop Dog, Marvin Winans, Queens, Elton John including the Carpenters and Garth brooks.
What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?
Hip Hop symbolize the hottest music on the planet that inspires you to another musical level.
When not writing music, how do you spend your time?
I spend my time practicing on my flying plane simulator (private pilot license).
Tell us a few things about your new song ‘2 Cups’. What is the story behind it?
its a fun song. my childhood friend Kanayo (the producer) gave me the melody for the hook and I ran with it. the story of 2 cups is about a girl stressing me out when all I want to do is party and live the good life.
For which lyric you are most proud of?
my favorite lyric “out of my mind drafting up another crime”
Favourite rapper, lyricist and producer?
favorite rapper is Young Thug, Lyricist Jay-Z Producer Dreamer$ Paradice
What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?
hip hop symbolizes freedom
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
lmfao never thought about that. music is music but 2 cups I would imagine people could listen to if they were going through a break up
Tell us a few things about your new song “Feeling Is”.
. “Feeling Is” is literally me grappling with a bunch of intense mixed emotions and trying to make some sort of sense out of it all.
What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?
In its purest artistic form, Hip hop symbolizes the voices of those forgotten or misrepresented by society at large. I believe the music and the culture itself breathes new life into the world and reminds us all, no matter our background or socioeconomic status that we have something to offer that’s worth paying attention to.
Do you like the idea of collaborating? Is songwriting a lonely process?
I love the idea of collaborating. In 2022, my goal is to collaborate with more artists and producers and build community. I believe songwriting can be lonely but that is kind of the beauty of the process. Delving into one’s own psyche and letting yourself be vulnerable is crucial to creating something heartfelt and meaningful.
What is the first album you remember hearing as a child?
My Mom loves Motown and classic soul music. I remember riding in the car and listening to “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations and “Baby Love” by the Supremes. Those are fond memories and that music still resonates with me today.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
. Jōviky’s biggest challenge has been finding the strength and courage to be unapologetic about the marketing and promotion of myself and my music. I’m just a laid back chill person and I don’t really enjoy talking about myself or bragging about my accomplishments. I recently watched the Kanye documentary on Netflix and was inspired by how focused Kanye is/was on getting people to listen to and understand his music. I’m trying to be more like that but it’s hard for me…
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
I don’t know the exact state of mind, but I want people to feel and be in touch with their emotions when they listen to my music. Music and art in general is a conduit for emotion and I just want to help people to get in touch with that side of themselves.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Whoa! This is an interesting question… I set my desk on fire when I was in 1st grade. It was completely an accident and also a very long story. But I got in major trouble for that. Don’t worry, I’m not a pyromaniac or anything. At least I don’t think I am… 😉
Tell us a few things about your new album. What is the story behind it?
‘Our Island’ is a collaboration of activist/artists from islands across the Pacific & Indian Oceans, uniting the voice of the ocean for climate action.
Which song of the album reflects you the most?
“Festival of the Living Ocean’, unites the rhythms and spirit of the world’s great oceans, through beats produced by HipHop artist Airileke from Papua New Guinea with the Sega grooves from Mauritius by Emlyn.
What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?
Music and the spirit contained only lives through the listener, through being shared, both recorded and live are vital, but live we see and feel the listeners connection animating bringing life to our songs.
Your music also has lovely grooves. Tell us a song with a groove you wish you had composed yourself.
All the grooves in our music follow music traditions passed down through generations, these are the grooves in our family which we can unite to create new feels.
When not writing music, how do you spend your time?
We are a varied mob, but our oceans are central in our lives, we have surfers, Kite Surfers, swimmers in our group, and cooking up feasts to share in our group on tour, planet friendly food of course. (No industrial red meat).
When was the last time you danced?
Yesterday we jammed with 6 artists from islands of the Caribbean for our show in Miami at the North Beach Bandshell. The beats and groove of the Caribbean mixed with our oceans was mazing we are all pulsing and moving, singing out loud. Uniting the worlds great oceans, Atlantic, Indian & Pacific, after all we share one ocean – one island.
Tell us a few things about your new song ‘Good 4 You’. What is the main idea behind it?
Here’s the main idea behind the single “Good 4 You”: While creating this single, i went with a simple approach and tried to answer the most obvious question that we ask ourselves once We meet someone who’s maybe out of our league, or we’re interested in making the first move on. But before we do any of that, we ask (AM I GOOD FOR YOU). It’s a question that carries much weight if you think about it. Then i decided to tell a simple story that focuses on love, romance, and the importance of asking this question and what you can do to make the first move; this song also contains fresh ideas that i wanted to try out something that’ll make this single stand out among its peers. When it comes to the artwork, i went with a different approach. This time the painting is a storyteller; every detail hints towards something related to the song, from the colors to the heart waves drawn on the top and the bottom of the design, i don’t want to spoil this. It would help if you listened to understand what the art
How would you describe your musical progress over the years?
I’ve been releasing music for a year and two months so far, so good I still have a long way to go. I’m always looking to improve and develop my abilities as an artist and songwriter. I improve with each release that comes out. I’m always on the look-out for reviews, feedback, and support so that I can release and create more music my latest addition is a PayPal donation page for those who wish to support and keep me as an artist; the fact that PayPal is safe and secure I’m hoping that people will feel safer donating to help me out improve and keep going since I’m visually-impaired, and I can’t do everything alone.
Do you like the idea of collaborating? Is songwriting a lonely process?
Since starting out, I wasn’t presented with the opportunity to collab with anyone, but I’m not against it. Unfortunately, things aren’t that easy, and I’ll tell you why I’ve been approached by someone who wanted to collab but turned that he’s a scammer, so to all starting artists out there, be careful don’t trust anyone who offers a collab always do your research before signing or starting any new project. As for songwriting, songwriting is never a lonely process because once you start writing, you’re immediately taken to this amazing world where ideas are all around, bagging you to be heard are dive deeper and deeper into your creative mind this can take hours and the journey in your creative mind is always fruitful especially when your inspiration is acting as your guiding compass. Hence, I never considered songwriting to be lonely or a tedious process.
What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?
Hmm, this is a tough one, honestly. The entire music creation process is enjoyable, from the moment your inspiration hits you to the moment of lyrics writing. Next, you visualize how your recording will go trying different ideas (all in your mind, by the way) and then stepping behind the mic recording the hooks verses, background vocals, adlibs, and layers; then there is the time when you’ll need to sit down and conjure an idea for your single’s artwork thinking of details should you show within it and what will it be about. I love it all because I do it all, with exceptions. I’m proud and blessed to enjoy most of the steps the rest I leave to those I work with due to my poor sight; I’m unable to enjoy everything, but thanks to the outstanding beatmaker FlipTunesMusic, the phenomenal producer/mixing/master engineer Larry Ohh! And the talented designer/illustrator Beartrix, it’s been good, and I’m so thankful for all their efforts.
Is Spotify the music industry’s new Gatekeepers?
To be honest, streaming on Spotify is becoming more and more complicated. You need to reach many streams or get placements in a well-known playlist to get a decent income. So it’s becoming more and more difficult. For me, if you’re not willing to spend much money on campaigns with well-known companies so that they can push your song (Beware from scammers. There are many scammers), then the journey will become more complex and more challenging from here, and for me, that is not an option since my budget is minimal, and without other people’s support, I won’t be able to make such a move. Also, curators make it very difficult to be placed in playlists since they sometimes act as judge, jury, and executioner then you won’t make it, and most of the time they won’t give a reason for it so for starting artists, how are we going to improve if we’re not given the proper feedback or instructions on how to move forward so for me I do post my music on Spotify. However, I’m not getting much out of it due to the difficulties that I’m facing.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
The advice that I will give my younger self is to start early in your life. Then, once your dream is decided, don’t wait it out and don’t listen to the haters around you because that will come back and bite you in the end music industry is all about time and effort, and the earlier you start, the better and wiser you’ll become when it comes to music-making and business decisions.
What is the most useless talent you have?
An excellent question to ask. Do you know why because? I never considered thinking about it, but I’m sure that I will have an answer for it in the future.
Tell us a few things about your new song ‘Slow Connection/Censor’. What is the story behind it?
“Slow Connection” & “Censor” is the double side first single of my recently released EP, “22”. 2 sides released on 12-22… for “22” that was released 2-2-22 (as you can see I have a thing for the number “2”. lol) I really wanted to challenge my songwriting this past summer, so I locked myself in the studio and recorded a bunch of new songs exclusively with my brother in sound Rob Jeanyus & it was just vibes! When it was time for my team to hear the music, we just went with the vibes & thats how these two became the first single.
What first got you into music?
I’ve loved music for as long as I could remember. In middle school, seeing how big & diverse pop music was, I got hooked. I used to have a “calendar” of all the things I had to do aka things I recorded & would watch over & over again until I knew it word for word.
Favourite album of the past decade?
Thats a tough one. I’m just gonna go with what I’ve been playing nonstop since I’ve heard it & thats “Bubba” by Kaytranada. The music is a vibe…it takes you places. Then I saw him live, virtual show & in Atlanta, & it just makes the album that much greater to me.
What would you change in the music industry?
Oh man theres so much but I’d change the way Indie artist on the come up are treated. There are so many cash grab situations that you find yourself in bc ppl know they can make quick money off artists who are hungry & often desperate for a chance to make it. It’s already a tough process & most acts starting out DON’T have the capital for majority of opportunities. Promoters will have contests already knowing who the winner is, while still taking money from people who really want an opportunity. It’s pretty unfortunate.
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
You gotta be in the mood for VIBES! A high vibrational mood, ready for something positive from the universe… whether it be getting ready to go hang w/ friends, a nice vacation, a night cap w/ your partner, etc.
What would you say is your biggest vice?
My biggest vice is FOOD! I am a foodie! I love all kinds of food, will try the “weirdest” foods, watch food shows, etc. I do a happy dance when I get good food or see good looking food coming my way. I also turn sour when I’m hungry or the food wasnt good lol Food is by far my biggest vice for sure. Papa gotta eat!
Tell us a few things about your new song ‘Way I See It’. What is the main idea behind it?
People only love you when you carry their burdens. Hard work pays off. But then the pay off can either make you or break you. It never really ends. It’s a lifestyle, success and failure aren’t destinations, they’re lifestyles. And that’s the way I see it.
Which is your most personal and honest lyric?
Hard times create hard people. Tough people create good times then good times (can) rebirth weakness.
Do you think there is a true underground hip hop sound today?
Yes for sure. It’s thriving. But is there a collective underground hip hop sound? Not really. You can’t put underground hip hop in a box. It’s very geographically/socio-politically different. Toronto’s underground sound is much different than London’s or New York’s. What all underground music has in common though is that they report what’s underground, what’s happening on the streets, in their neighbourhoods, amongst their peers etc. Versus commercial stuff that’s not as deep content wise and more aimed at the general listener looking for a good melody or a catchy hook.
What would be your dream performance venue?
The TD place in my hometown in Ottawa for sure!
When not writing music, how do you spend your time?
I made my come up off soccer so playing footy for sure! Don’t get it twisted, I’m a footy boy for life! Shout out St Anthony FC and YSSA back home. Wouldn’t be where I am without these two organizations.
HipHop Paranoia 